Oh God, it did. I love you. That was the answer. He loved her.
Thomas had once said he loved her, too—but it hadn’t lasted. It hadn’t been enough.
Thrusting thoughts of the past aside, Elizabeth tore the ribbon from the paper and opened it. A mixture of tears and laughter burst forth as she saw what lay wrapped within the folds of the delicate paper.
It was a pair of garters embroidered with tiny gold crowns. She didn’t know how or when he’d purchased them—sometime after the children had given her their royal nickname, no doubt.
How had he known that such a gift would be perfect? She’d never told anyone about her lucky garters—not even Thomas—but she remembered Garrett that night on the boat, tracing the delicate embroidery with the tip of his finger.
How could she let a man who knew her that well slip through her fingers?
He loved her. She loved him. What if it didn’t last?
What if it did?
Clutching the garters in her hand, she stared at her own reflection in the window. She was Eliza Rex, Spy Queen of the World, Slayer of Dragons and Rescuer of Uncles. Surely a woman worthy of a title like that could risk her heart for the possibility of a lifetime of happiness? Couldn’t she?
Yes, yes she could.
Bolting from the chair, she ran down the stairs to the parlor where Regina sat sewing.
“Regina, I need to leave for London first thing tomorrow morning.”
Regina’s gaze was disinterested at best. “Do you? Well, then, I’ll have one of the carriages ready for you. When do you need to be there?”
“In two days.”
Regina didn’t blink. “You should be able to make it. It’s not a journey I would like to make. I take it that it’s a matter of some importance?”
Elizabeth nodded, too embarrassed to tell her friend that she was chasing after her brother.
“Very well. You’d better get some rest.”
Her friend’s behavior was a little odd, even for Regina, but Elizabeth was too scared and nervous to care. Shaking, she started to leave the room.
“Oh, Eliza,” Regina called.
Elizabeth turned. Grinning, Regina held up a length of gold embroidery thread. “I trust you liked your gift?”
She wasn’t coming.
Seated once again at a somewhat secluded table at the Pultney Hotel, Garrett realized that he was about to be made a fool of once again.
Maybe he should have given her more time. Maybe three days hadn’t been enough time for her to make up her mind and come to London. Maybe he should have given her a week, but he’d stupidly thought she’d come to her senses quickly.
Or maybe she just didn’t love him as he loved her. Maybe she didn’t think it was worth the risk. Maybe she’d decided to play it safe with Reverend Jones rather than take a chance on loving him.
She really wasn’t his Elizabeth Rex if that was the case.
“Excuse me, Lord Praed, but I have a message for you.”
Garrett took the small, heavy note from the waiter with a slight smile. Was it from Elizabeth, telling him she wasn’t coming?
He opened it. Inside was a room key. The paper simply had the letter E written on it.
Garrett’s heart thumped wildly against his ribs. She was here! Elizabeth was here!
Not caring who or what had finally changed her mind, Garrett jumped up from the table and ran from the dining room. Let them stare, let the gossips speculate as to what could have a peer of the realm actually running in a public place. He didn’t care. Nothing else mattered now that Elizabeth was here.
Up the stairs he went—two at a time until he reached her door. He paused just long enough to compose himself before knocking.
The door opened, and there she stood. The woman he loved, in that same plum gown she’d worn their first night together. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to meet him downstairs; the gown was hardly evening dress. No doubt she’d worn it on purpose.
He didn’t speak, didn’t allow her to speak. Kicking the door shut behind him, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all the joy he felt inside.
“What made you change your mind?” he demanded, breathless and hard for her.
Her hands came up to cup his face. “Don’t talk, Garrett. We’ve talked so much at Regina’s. I don’t want to talk anymore.” And when she pressed her lips to his again, Garrett didn’t care why she’d changed her mind. All that mattered was that she had.
They shuffled across the floor to the bed, bodies and mouths pressed together so tightly not even light could pass through them.
Her hands pushed his coat to the floor. His fingers fumbled with the buttons along the back of her gown. One by one, garments fell to the floor. Naked and vulnerable, Garrett stared at the pale beauty of her body. Soft and round, she was perfection in every sense of the word, from the top of her head to the ribbons on her garters.
He smiled. She was wearing the garters he’d had Regina embroider for her.
“You wore them.”
Smiling as she sat on the bed, Elizabeth held out her arms to him. “They’re for luck.”
“You don’t need luck,” he told her, pushing her onto her back and lowering himself on top of her. “Not with me.”
“Show me.”
Velvety softness closed around his hips as he slipped between her thighs. The flesh there was warm and humid, and oh so inviting as he probed it with the head of his shaft. He wanted to take his time with her, but that was impossible. They’d both been waiting eight months for this moment. They could take their time later.
“You’re ready for me,” he murmured against her lips as he slid a finger into that tight, hot passage.
She smiled as she tightened her inner muscles around him. “I’ve been ready for you for a long time.” Reaching down between their bodies, she wrapped her fingers around him, stroking the hard length of him with firm, determined strokes. Garrett shivered. God, she was going to make him come just like that.
He withdrew his finger, allowing her to guide him to the entrance of her body. With one quick thrust, he was buried to the hilt inside her and both of them gasped at the sensation.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice hoarse with passion and emotion as he stared down at her flushed, beautiful face.
“I’m fine.” Her hips moved against his. “Stop talking.”
Wrapping an arm beneath her, Garrett rolled onto his back, taking her with him so that she was now the one on top. He wanted to watch her ride him until she exploded with pleasure.
She did just that. Slowly sliding her body up and down on his, Elizabeth drove him to the brink of ecstasy time and time again, until sweat beaded on his brow and his entire body was tight with tension.
She was close as well, he could see it in the rosy hue of her skin, in her heavy-lidded gaze as she took him as deep inside her as he could go. Stretching herself along the length of his body like a cat, she quickened her movements, grinding her pelvis down hard on his, her hard nipples brushing his chest as she locked her arms on either side of his head.
Sweet, aching pressure built between his legs. Arching his hips, he lifted his lower body to hers, matching her thrust for thrust, lifting them both off the mattress.
Elizabeth’s moans quickened with her movements. Her forehead puckered as Garrett gripped her hips, holding her in place as he pumped himself into her. Her thighs stiffened and her back arched as she tossed her head back and cried out loud as her climax shook her.
Her orgasm sent Garrett over the edge. One fierce thrust sent him spiraling into the abyss after her, ripple after ripple of intense pleasure shuddering through his body.
It was some time later before either of them could find the strength to speak. Pinned beneath the soft weight of her body, Garrett drew what blanket he could over them as their flesh began to cool. Her head nestled between his jaw and shoulder, and he stroked the glossy surface of her hair.
Now was the time for talk. “Why did
you come here tonight?”
Elizabeth lifted her head, her face just inches from his. She smiled. “I thought I’d save you the trouble of hunting me down.”
Chuckling, Garrett shifted so that they lay on their sides facing each other. He slipped his leg between hers, stroking her hip as he did so. He didn’t think he could ever tire of touching her. “Seriously. What changed your mind?”
With a sigh, she placed the palm of her hand against his chest, her fingers toying with the hair there.
“I was so scared that I wasn’t . . . couldn’t be the woman you thought I was, but when I read the charade, and saw the garters . . .” Garrett moved his hand down to her knee and slipped his finger inside the band of fabric there. “I realized you knew me better than anyone else ever has. I knew I’d be foolish to let that go.”
He smiled. “Very foolish. I love you, you know.”
She nodded, and he thought he could see the shimmer of tears in her eyes. “I know.”
His own throat was tight as he spoke. “I’m not handsome and I’m not perfect, but I can promise you that you will always—always be the most important part of my life. You are my life.”
A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. “I love you, Garrett.”
He rolled on top of her, his body already hard for her again. Kissing away her tears, he positioned himself between her thighs.
“You’re going to have to marry me after this,” he told her as he entered her.
Her mouth brushed his ear, her breath soft and warm as she whispered, “Merry Christmas, Cubby.”
Laughing, Garrett turned his head to kiss her. “Merry Christmas, my love.”
ROMANCING
THE ROGUE
BARBARA
DAWSON SMITH
When Michael Kenyon, the Marquess of Stokeford, finds his grandmother having her palm read by a gypsy beauty, he’s convinced that Vivien Thorne is a fortune hunter. The Marquess is determined to expose her as a fraud—and Vivien is equally determined to claim her rightful heritage. Yet neither the spirited gypsy nor the notorious rogue foresee the white-hot desire that turns their battle into a daring game where to surrender is unthinkable . . . impossible . . . and altogether irresistible.
“Barbara Dawson Smith is wonderful!”
—Affaire de Coeur
“Barbara Dawson Smith makes magic.”
—Romantic Times
AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD
FROM ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBCKS
RR 3/01
Wish Upon a Cowboy
KATHLEEN
KANE
Jonas Mackenzie isn’t sure what to make of the beautiful stranger who showed up at his Wyoming ranch with marriage on her mind. While he’s trying hard to ignore the sparks flying between them, Hannah Lowell is a woman on a mission with a stubborn streak as wide as his own.
Hannah hadn’t been thrilled at the idea of marrying a man she didn’t know . . . until she had a good look at the lean and rugged cowboy who was her destiny. But how is she going to convince a man who doesn’t believe in magic, that he’s got the power to save a town from a terrible fate? And that it all boils down to his belief in his legacy, his heart, and in the most powerful magic of all . . . their love.
“True to her talent, Kane keeps the conflicts lively
to the end and fills the plot with many surprises.”
—Publishers Weekly
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FROM ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS
WUC 3/01
Also by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Fantasy Lover
Night Pleasures
Night Embrace
Dance with the Devil
Kiss of the Night
Night Play
Seize the Night
Sins of the Night
Unleash the Night
Dark Side of the Moon
The Dream-Hunter
Devil May Cry
Upon the Midnight Clear
Dream Chaser
Acheron
One Silent Night
Dream Warrior
Bad Moon Rising
No Mercy
Retribution
The Guardian
Dark-Hunter Companion
The League
Born of Night
Born of Fire
Born of Ice
Chronicles of Nick
Infinity
Invincible
Infamous
Naughty or Nice? Page 29